Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 23 Mar 2005 [PDF]

• Transcript: Defense Department Special Briefing on Iraq and Afghanistan 23 Mar 2005 -- Secretary of the Army Francis J. Harvey
• Iraqi Police Kill 17 Suspected Insurgents RFE/RL 23 Mar 2005 -- Police say an Iraqi police antiterror unit shot dead 17 suspected insurgents and arrested 13 others in a clash near the Grand Mosque of the northern town of Mosul today.
• Bomb Kills Two In Baghdad RFE/RL 23 Mar 2005 -- A bomb planted outside a primary school in the Ali Salih area of the Al-Iskan neighborhood of Baghdad detonated on 23 March, killing two people and wounding several others

• PAKISTAN AFGHANISTAN VOA 23 Mar 2005 -- The leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan are seeking to boost trade ties, including a lucrative joint project to pipe natural gas from Central Asia. They also highlighted increased cooperation in fighting terrorism.
• U.S. Forces Kill Five Militants In Afghanistan RFE/RL 23 Mar 2005 -- The U.S. military today says U.S. warplanes in Afghanistan have killed five suspected militants near the Pakistani border.
• HIGH-LEVEL TALIBAN KILLED IN FIREFIGHT WITH AFGHAN AND COALITION FORCES CENTCOM 26 Mar 2005 -- A man implicated in many of the attacks against Coalition forces in Paktika Province died in a firefight with Afghan and Coalition forces March 22.

• Transcript: Defense Department Briefing Via Satellite on Operational Update of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa 23 Mar 2005 -- Major General Samuel Helland, Commander of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa
• US / AFRICA TERRORISM VOA 23 Mar 2005 -- The commander of the U.S.-led Combined Joint Task Force in the Horn of Africa says terrorism is alive and well in the region, but his forces are working with local governments to make it harder for the terrorist groups to operate. The general spoke from Qatar via satellite with reporters at the Pentagon.
• Horn of Africa General Describes 'Regional Approach to Stability' AFPS 23 Mar 2005 -- As stability and security increase in Afghanistan and Iraq, terrorists will look for other places where they cannot only find sanctuary but also continue to operate, receive supplies and indoctrinate new recruits, the general in charge of coalition forces on the Horn of Africa said here today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• RUMSFELD / VENEZUELA VOA 23 Mar 2005 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld expressed concern Wednesday about reports that Venezuela is seeking to buy 100-thousand assault rifles from Russia. Mr. Rumsfeld, who is in the middle of a four-day trip to Latin America, made the comments after meeting with a top Brazilian official.
• Facing the Future: Chu Outlines NSPS, Other Initiatives AFPS 23 Mar 2005 -- Defense Department civilians will soon be paid for productivity rather than longevity, while in future years servicemembers may be required to serve longer tours of duty and spend more time in the military before becoming eligible for retirement.
• Rumsfeld: AK-47 Sales to Venezuela Wouldn't Be Good for Region AFPS 23 Mar 2005 -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today it would not bode well for the Western Hemisphere if Venezuela were to receive 100,000 AK-47 rifles from Russia.
• Navy Leaders Discuss Future of Anti-Submarine Warfare Navy NewsStand 23 Mar 2005 -- Top Navy leaders met to discuss anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations and program improvements March 15-17 at the Navy's newest operational command, Fleet Anti-submarine Warfare Command (FLTASWCOM), headquartered at the Fleet ASW Training Center.
• U.S., Swedish Navies Sign Agreement to Bilaterally Train on State-of-the-Art Sub Navy NewsStand 23 Mar 2005 -- The U.S. Navy and the Swedish navy signed a Memorandum of Understanding March 21 that will begin a bilateral training effort, providing a Swedish advanced diesel submarine and crew for U.S. Navy fleet anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training.
• YPs Aboard NAS Pensacola Depart for Annapolis Navy NewsStand 23 Mar 2005 -- The yard patrol (YP) service craft aboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola departed March 18 to join the YP fleet at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
• Installations to get higher priority of funding Army News Release 23 Mar 2005 -- The Army has implemented a new policy that will increase annual funding for installations, Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey said today.
• DoD Proposes Program to Remodel Defense Intelligence AFPS 23 Mar 2005 -- The Defense Department has proposed a program to remodel the defense intelligence capabilities, senior DoD officials said here today.
• ACC officials release Predator crash report AFPN 23 Mar 2005 -- Crew error was the primary cause of an MQ-1L Predator remotely piloted aircraft crash during a training mission Sept. 22 at Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, Nev., according to an Air Force report released by Air Combat Command officials March 23.

• PUTIN APPROVES STAFF OF RUSSIAN COMMISSION FOR COOPERATION WITH NATO RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- President Vladimir Putin has approved the staff of the Russian intergovernmental commission for cooperation with NATO and implementation of the basic act on mutual relations, cooperation and security between the Russian Federation and the North Atlantic alliance.

• RUSSIAN BASES TO BE WITHDRAWN FROM GEORGIA RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- Russia's proposals on withdrawing its military bases from Georgia were made in consideration of the Georgian party's interests, Igor Savolsky, head of the Russian delegation in Russian-Georgian talks on military issues, stated on Wednesday.
• RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN TALKS BEGIN IN MOSCOW RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- Moscow hopes that dialog with Tbilisi will yield serious progress regarding the presence of the Russian military bases in Georgia, said Russian Ambassador at Large Igor Savolsky, opening the Russian-Georgian talks here Wednesday.

• P-3C AIRCRAFT TO BOOST MILITARY'S UNDERSEA SURVEILLANCE SCOPE: MND CNA 23 Mar 2005 -- The procurement of 12 P-3C anti-submarine aircraft from the United States will meet the military's minimum combat demand and expand its undersea surveillance scope by more than 10-fold, according to a report presented Wednesday to the legislature by the Ministry of National Defense.
• U.S. WANT TAIWAN TO COMMIT ON ANTI-SUBMARINE AIRCRAFT BY MAY 1 CNA 23 Mar 2005 -- The United States has asked Taiwan to decide before May whether it intends to buy 12 U.S.-made P-3C anti-submarine aircraft, an Naval official told the Legislative Yuan Wednesday.

• State Department Briefing, March 23 Washington File 23 Mar 2005 -- Israel/Palestinians, Greece, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Qatar, Middle East, Kyrgyzstan, China, North Korea, Sudan, Nigeria, Japan, Africa

Defense Industry

• BAE Systems Receives Contract for Navy Radar Warning Receiver Components BAE Systems 23 Mar 2005 -- LANSDALE, Pennsylvania -- BAE Systems recently received a $4 million contract for follow-on production of the U.S. Navy's ALR-67(V)3 radar warning receiver system components.
• U.S. Navy Awards General Dynamics $28 Million for Open Architecture Track Manager General Dynamics 23 Mar 2005 -- The U. S. Navy awarded General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), a $27.8 million contract to provide system integration and design agent services for the Open Architecture Track Manager (OATM). The track manager is an improved component within combat systems that receives and translates information from air, surface and subsurface sensors to create an integrated picture of the locations and paths of aircraft, ships and submarines in the battle space. The contract runs through June 2009 and has a total potential value of $95 million if all options are exercised.
• Raytheon Awarded $266 Million Standard Missile-2 Production Contract Raytheon 23 Mar 2005 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a $265.9 million contract from the U.S. Navy for fiscal year 2005 Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) production.
• AEV 3 Kodiak stands up to extreme Arctic conditions in Sweden Rheinmetall Defence 23 Mar 2005 -- The Swedish Army has successfully tested the AEV 3 Kodiak armoured engineer vehicle (based on the MBT Leopard 2 chassis) at Boden in northern Sweden. Under a lease agreement between the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH, the AEV 3 Kodiak was tested under real winter conditions close to the Arctic Circle. Beforehand, Rheinmetall Landsysteme spent several days training the Swedish Army's test team to operate the AEV 3 Kodiak. The AEV 3 Kodiak had already been successfully tested by Switzerland, the Netherlands and Denmark.
• Boeing Completes Work on the World's Most Detailed Terrain Data Boeing 23 Mar 2005 -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] recently delivered the final installment of Digital Terrain Elevation Data (DTED ®) to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, completing work on the most complete, medium-resolution digital topographic database of Earth.
• Northrop Grumman Delivers 17th and Final Joint STARS to the U.S. Air Force Northrop Grumman 23 Mar 2005 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) delivered the 17th and final production E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft to the U.S. Air Force today.
• INTERNATIONAL MILITARY EXHIBITION TO BE HELD IN MOSCOW REGION IN 2006 RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- On August 2 through 6, 2006 the town of Zhukovsky (the Moscow region) and the training area in Krasnoarmeisk will host an international integrated exhibition of land forces' armament and an airshow, Vladimir Paleshchuk, Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, told journalists in Moscow.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 23 Mar 2005
• UN Security Council/Sudan VOA 23 Mar 2005 -- A U.S.-sponsored draft resolution authorizing a peacekeeping force in Sudan is set for unanimous approval Thursday in the U.N. Security Council. But the Council is bracing for a showdown on the politically-sensitive issue of prosecuting Sudanese war crimes suspects.
• Thousands of troops needed in Darfur to protect civilians and aid workers, UN envoy says UN News Centre 23 Mar 2005 -- Condemning a recent attack on humanitarian aid workers as ultimately victimizing the people who need help, the head of the United Nations mission in Sudan today said civilians and aid workers in western Sudan's Darfur region need several thousand troops for protection.
• U.S. Offers Three Resolutions To Speed End of Crisis in Darfur Washington File 23 Mar 2005 -- In an effort to hasten the end of fighting in Darfur, the United States has split its draft resolution on Sudan into three parts in order to facilitate negotiations that have stalled on the comprehensive resolution now before the U.N. Security Council.
• SUDAN: Aid worker shot and injured in Darfur IRIN 23 Mar 2005 -- An American aid worker was shot in the face on Tuesday in South Darfur, a state in western Sudan, when unidentified gunmen ambushed her convoy, the US State Department said.
  
  
• SHOULD RUSSIA AND THE WEST CONTINUE DIALOGUE ON CHECHNYA? RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- Russia and the West spent years discussing the meaning of a political settlement in Chechnya.
• CHECHEN PRESIDENT ON DOUBLE STANDARDS RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- Chechen President Alu Alkhanov calls on human right activists not to resort to the double standard approach in assessing the situation in Chechnya.
• BASAYEV AIDE KILLED RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- Federal forces in Chechnya killed Rizvan Chitigov, a ringleader close to Chechen separatist Shamil Basayev, a spokesman for the regional operational headquarters for controlling the anti-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus reported.
• MOSCOW SEES LINKS BETWEEN STOCKHOLM ATTACK AND BASAYEV'S INTERVIEW WITH SWEDISH MEDIA RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- The terrorist attack, in which the car of a Russian diplomat in Stockholm was blown up, is linked by Moscow with the spreading of views of Chechen terrorists the Swedish media give floor to, a Russian diplomat told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
  
  
• Progress is made on Liberian peace agreement, but funding urgently needed - UN report UN News Centre 23 Mar 2005 -- Liberia's peace agreement is being implemented and major goals in the transition from conflict to fair elections have been accomplished, but the National Transitional Government needs additional funding to provide basic services and re-integrate former combatants, a report to the United Nations Security Council says.
• LIBERIA: Petrol bombers attack UN checkpoint in Ganta IRIN 23 Mar 2005 -- One United Nations peacekeeper in Liberia was seriously wounded and another slightly injured when a group of young men threw a petrol bomb at a UN checkpoint in the northern town of Ganta, UN officials said on Wednesday.
  
  
• UN / PALESTINIANS VOA 23 Mar 2005 -- A U.N. special investigator on Human Rights in the occupied Palestinian territories says the level of violence has dropped substantially since Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met for peace talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt early last month. The investigator, John Dugard, has just presented his report to the U.N. Human Rights Commission.
• Bosnian Serbs change attitude towards war crimes tribunal, Security Council told UN News Centre 23 Mar 2005 -- The decision by the Serb entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina to hand over indictees to a United Nations war crimes tribunal seems to signify a change of attitude at last, 10 years after the massacre of up to 8,000 Muslims by Serbs in Srebrenica and the Dayton accords that ended the war there, the Security Council was told today.
• German Official Criticizes Russia Over Chechnya RFE/RL 23 Mar 2005 -- German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer called on Russia today to investigate human rights violations committed by Russian security forces in Chechnya.
• DRC: Ituri militias take war to civilians IRIN 23 Mar 2005 -- Three months after the resumption of fighting between Lendu and Hema militias in Ituri, a district in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a vivid picture of human-rights violations is emerging.

News Reports

• United States Expresses Concerned About Unrest in Kyrgyzstan Washington File 23 Mar 2005 -- The United States expressed concern March 22 about the unrest in southern Kyrgyzstan in the wake of the country's disputed parliamentary elections.
• OPPOSITION LEADER: NO DIALOGUE BETWEEN KYRGYZ AUTHORITIES AND OPPOSITION RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- The resignations of the Kyrgyz prosecutor general and interior minister have not resulted from Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev's talks with opposition, Narynbek Kasymov, chief of staff of the People's Democratic Movement of Kyrgyzstan, told in a telephone interview with RIA Novosti.
• Kyrgyzstan: Region Looks On Events With Concern RFE/RL 23 Mar 2005 -- Kyrgyzstan's neighbors, as well as Russia, are reacting with a mixture of caution and concern to events in the country -- and urging both sides to refrain from confrontation.
• KYRGYZSTAN DOES NOT SEE GEORGIAN PRESIDENT AS PEACEMAKER RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- Kyrgyzstan president's press secretary Abdil Segizbaev is sceptical about the proposal of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili to be a go-between in negotiations between the Kyrgyz authorities and the opposition.
• KYRGYZSTAN: GOVERNMENT OFFERS DIALOGUE TO OPPOSITION RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- Press Secretary of the Kyrgyz president Abdil Segizbayev has confirmed that the country's Prime Minister Nikolai Tanayev is setting off for the south to hold talks with the opposition.
• MOSCOW CRITICIZES SOLANA'S STATEMENT ABOUT SITUATION IN KYRGYZSTAN RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the situation in Kyrgyzstan in a phone conversation with EU Council Secretary General, EU High Commissar for general foreign policy and security policy Xavier Solana.
• OPPOSITION SETS FREE 60 PRISONERS IN JALAL-ABAD RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Justice has confirmed that the opposition set some 60 prisoners free from temporary custody in Jalal-Abad.
• KYRGYZSTAN: OPPOSITION RULES OUT COMPROMISE WITH AKAYEV RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- The opposition is not ruling out that the "protest potential" amassed in Kyrgyzstan may rear its head soon in the north of the republic, which has until now been considered to be fairly stable.
• TAJIK FOREIGN MINISTRY FOR NEGOTIATIONS IN KYRGYZSTAN RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- - The Tajik Foreign Ministry has issued a statement in connection with Kyrgyz developments, voicing hope to the effect that reason will prevail over emotions in Kyrgyzstan, and that all Kyrgyz political forces will display will-power and courage, so as to choose an optimal trouble-shooting scenario at the negotiating table.
• TENSIONS PERSIST IN SOUTH KYRGYZSTAN RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- Riots still continue in Jalal-Abad, south Kyrgyzstan. Some local banks and exchange offices have been looted as a result.
• UZBEK FOREIGN MINISTRY CONCERNED ABOUT KYRGYZ DEVELOPMENTS RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry has voiced its concern about the developments in the southern regions of Kyrgyzstan.
• US UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE RECEIVES ENVOY OF KYRGYZSTAN'S PRESIDENT RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2005 -- On Tuesday US Undersecretary of State for political affairs Nicholas Burns received foreign policy adviser to Kyrgyzstan's president Alibek Dzhekshekulov in Washington.
• KYRGYZ / PROTEST VOA 23 Mar 2005 -- Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev has fired two top officials for failing to prevent recent violence that erupted in the south of the country, following disputed parliament elections the West says were flawed.
• Kyrgyz President Fires Officials RFE/RL 23 Mar 2005 -- Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev today fired the country's interior minister and prosecutor-general as opposition protests kept up pressure on his government.
• Analysis: Uneasy Days In Kyrgyzstan RFE/RL 23 Mar 2005 -- Postelection protests in Kyrgyzstan began to take on the classic earmarks of genuine unrest on 20 March. For several days the authorities had stood by as opposition demonstrations intensified in southern Kyrgyzstan. Protestors seized the Jalal-Abad provincial administration on 4 March and repeated the feat in Osh on 18 March.
• Kyrgyz Officials Seek Meeting With Protesters RFE/RL 23 Mar 2005 -- As demonstrators protesting what they call fraudulent parliamentary polls continue to hold key government buildings in Kyrgyzstan, President Askar Akaev has dismissed two senior officials for failing to rein in protesters.
• Police Break Up Bishkek Protest RFE/RL 23 Mar 2005 -- Hundreds of people gathered in the capital today to support the Kyrgyz opposition, which wants new parliamentary elections and the resignation of President Askar Akaev.
• KYRGYZSTAN: Election protests reach the capital IRIN 23 Mar 2005 -- A peaceful anti-government demonstration in the capital, Bishkek, against flawed parliamentary elections was violently dispersed by Kyrgyz riot police on Wednesday.
• UZBEKISTAN: Government and opposition concerned over Kyrgyz unrest IRIN 23 Mar 2005 -- Fearing the spread of ethnic discord in the region, the Uzbek government has voiced concern over political unrest in southern Kyrgyzstan, where a large Uzbek minority lives.
• TAJIKISTAN: Opposition leaders support protests in Kyrgyzstan IRIN 23 Mar 2005 -- Opposition leaders in Tajikistan say they support the people's protests in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan, but condemn acts of violence.
• KYRGYZSTAN: Second city firmly under opposition control IRIN 23 Mar 2005 -- The southern city of Osh, Kyrgyzstan's second largest, was being run by a so-called peoples' government on Wednesday, elected by protesters who have been in de facto control since Monday.

• LEBANON BOMBING VOA 23 Mar 2005 -- A bomb blast in a predominantly Christian area north of Beirut has killed three people and injured several others. The blast was the second in five days and is heightening fears in an already politically charged atmosphere.
• LEBANON BOMBING VOA 23 Mar 2005 -- A bomb blast in a predominantly Christian area north of Beirut has killed two people and injured several others. The blast was the second in five days and is heightening fears in an already politically charged atmosphere.
• At Least Two Killed In Lebanon Blast RFE/RL 23 Mar 2005 -- Police in Lebanon say a bomb exploded early today in a Christian town north of Beirut, killing at least two people and injuring several others.

• ARAB/ SUMMIT VOA 23 Mar 2005 -- The Arab League concluded its two-day summit in Algiers Wednesday agreeing, again, to a 2002 Arab peace initiative put forth by Saudi Arabia. And, just like in 2002, Israel has rejected the proposal.
• ARAB / SUMMIT VOA 23 Mar 2005 -- Arab leaders are wrapping up their two-day summit in Algiers that produced a revamped Middle East peace-initiative that was immediately rejected by Israel. Also, it appears the investigation into the death of the most powerful political figure in Lebanon may intensify.

• Lockheed Martin Awarded Contract To Build A2100 Small-Class GEO Satellite For SES Lockheed Martin 23 Mar 2005 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] announced at the Satellite 2005 conference here today that it has been awarded a contract for an A2100 geosynchronous satellite by SES GLOBAL (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges SESG), to be built for and operated by SES AMERICOM, an SES GLOBAL company. The satellite, designated AMC-18, will be located at orbital location 105 degrees West and will provide distribution of premium cable programming across North America. Contract terms were not disclosed
• Raytheon Achieves Two SATCOM Milestones: Makes First XDR Connection, Demonstrates NMT Solution Raytheon 23 Mar 2005 -- A satellite communication (SATCOM) system developed by Raytheon Company has successfully acquired an extended data rate (XDR) downlink from the U.S. government's "gold standard" satellite simulator.